The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-03-03
De Preacher and De Hants.

bdI W uA nous DN IIloelI III an ole
tief. De house wuz off piece frum
de main road. Some rich people useter
lib dar wunst, but dey had all died out
De trampS an all de pussons trabeling
along de road wouldn't stop at de
house, Acaise dey heerd hit was hantid,
an wuz afeard de hants would scare
'em of
After awhile dar come an ole preach
er along, an hit wuz rainin mighty
heaby. He axed some oh de nabors ef
he could put up at de house in de fel'
fer de night, ez hit wuz gitten berry
dark bout dat time. De nabors tole
him he could stay dar eff he wantid ter,
but dat de buildin' wuz bout giben up
ter de hants.
De preacher neber said much, but he
borrered box of lucifum matches an
big taller candil. Den he tromped
straight ter de house an struck light,
an went in peart wild his head helt
high.
De fust thing he foun' wuz an ole
table in the closes cornder OBJ de
downstairs room. He drawed hit out
inter de middle oh de flo; den he tux
his bible from de big inside pockit OBJ
his coat, laid hit on de table, pulled a
miliewed rockin'-chair ter de side OBJ
de candil, tux his seat easy, an opened
de book.
All dis time de daddy-long-legs and
de cockroaches wuz crawlin' in an out
oh de walls; de spiders wuz movin' in
de big black cobwebs, an de rats an
mOuses wuz maxim rackit all Ober de
hous'. De preacher neber tux no no.
tice oh de varmints; he wiped his specs
wild blue handkerchief, put dem on,
ar sot inter readin'.
De rain wuz fallin' an fallin' but de
win neber blowed much, an de candil
KEEP still ez de preacher.
Way long bout de middle of de
night in walked de body oh a bulldog
widout head. He neber barked, but
when he got clos ter de table he moved
back ards slow to the front door, and
banished swif' inter darkness an de
rain.
An de preacher an de candil bofe
KEEP still.
After awhile a COW come in wild no
horns on her head an no motionin' oh
de tail. She crossed de room an pass
ed froo' the wall by de side OBJ de
chimbley.
An de preacher an de candil neber
moved.
Mex dar come in two black cats wild
monstous heads, and eyes ez big ez de
owls blinkin' at um from de dark
cen oh de room, De eyes oh dem cats
look like Goals oh fire wild no ashes on
um. Dey crope up onder de table
whar de foOts oh de preacher wuz
stretched out an mounted on um. De
har on mis- head ris' we'en dey fetched
him, but he neber sed nuthin', an KEEP
a readin' in de good book.
Jest fore de breakin' oh de day de
flame oh de candil lep up. De win
neber struc' it, fer de ar wuz still. De
light fell sudden ez hit ris', and sot in
ter burnin' blue.
Den in com a man wild 'oOman fol-
lerin' him, an bofc of um in long white
clothes, wild de smell of de grabeyard
all ober dem.
De wuz chooses!
DC itttIlltl ilCAJtI IItttl hllONCi ulll,
livin' or dead, but he shet de bible and
axked um easy:
"Name oh de Lawd, W at yo' wantPn
Den dey tOle him dey wuz from de
t'other worl and couldn't res happy
in de churchyard becaise OBJ some
money dey hid afore dey died.
Dey said twas nine t'ousan' dollahs,
and wuz buried .''way down on hill
side" Dey tole him whar to fine hit.
Den dey said dey had two brudders
libbin', an begged de preacher ter git
de money an glib de brudders two
t'ousan' apiece; de balance wuz his
Dey said twas gibcn ter him fer
speakin' ter dem. Dey tole him dey
could res happy now, and dey LET
him. An de mornin' broke wild de
preacher settin' at de table wild bofe
| hands on de bible.
De eend oh de tale say dat de preach
er foun' de money, an done right by
de brudders. An after dat ennybody
could sleep in de house.
Nobody neber wuz brave enuff ter
| speak ter de hants till der preacher
come along. He jes' sot down and
read de good book all night. William
| II, Hume, IN The BECOuQc.